Attorney General's Office issued a joint circular to health authorities concerning intensification of actions to ensure safe motherhood

The Attorney General's Office, together with the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the National Health and National Institute of Health, issued Joint Circular 005 of 2012, aimed to promote and encourage preventive action to ensure the maternity secure nationally.

The circular, addressed to governors, mayors, territorial health, management companies benefit plans, entities responsible for special and emergency regimes, and institutions providing health services, gives precise instructions regarding compliance with existing standards for ensure safe motherhood, with a comprehensive approach, and the full development of the sexual and reproductive health.

The departmental and Health district must submit to the National Health and the Ministry of Health and Welfare, prior to March 28, plan visits to verify qualification standards defined in the enabling component of the Mandatory Quality Assurance, the said plan shall be completed before August 31, 2012.

The results of the inspections must be recorded in the web application the Special Register of Health Service Providers - (REPS). The National Health Authority will monitor the visitation plan submitted, and in case of detected failure of this plan, advance relevant punitive actions.

Is also drawn to these authorities, among other things, the obligation to ensure the operation of the network of blood banks and reinforce its monitoring of this network, so as to provide continuous availability of blood and components.

As for companies that manage benefit plans, they should establish as a risk group health priority to pregnant women, to the risks involved; ensure timely access, continuity, comprehensiveness and quality in the provision of health services at all levels of care through a network of sufficient attention and articulate, perform all the actions in order to offer a benefit to pregnant women permanent preferential affiliates and strengthen strategies and actions induction demand to ensure preconception care in the population of childbearing age, among other obligations.

For its part, the institutions providing health services (IPS) should provide preferential delivery, timely, continuous and safe to both mother and child, as defined in the guidelines of Resolution 412 of 2000 and the Technical Guide "Best Practices for Patient Safety, "among others.

The IPS must immediately perform self-assessment of conditions enabling the emergency services, inpatient obstetrics, surgical, adult intensive care, pediatric intensive care, neonatal intensive care and outpatient obstetrics and gynecology, according to the definitions in the empowerment component of the Mandatory Quality Assurance, reporting the news that you have, and implement the measures required to ensure compliance.

According to the National Institute of Health, so far in 2012 there have been a total of 36 cases of maternal death in the country to epidemiological week 5, with the departments of Chocó, Antioquia, Caldas, Caquetá, Córdoba, Boyaca, Meta , Tolima and the Capital District, which increased the notification with respect to 2011.

The National Health and National Institute of Health conducted monitoring and control compliance with the provisions of this Circular. The Attorney General's Office through for the Defense of the Rights of the Child, Youth and Family will follow the same, subject to disciplinary actions that correspond to the Control Authority and those of fiscal jurisdiction of the Comptroller General of the Republic.